Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

1. This is a great evidence of the deep rooting of your Grace, and so puts a greater honour upon you, it is an argument Grace had a very deep root, in that it hath held out all this while, and flourished all this while. You know the seed that was sown in the stony ground, it came up a little for the present, but vanished away, but that that was sown in the good ground, it came up and flourished though in the heat of the Sun. Many have a good beginning as Nero, though he were an abominable wretch afterwards, yet his first five years were very eminent for forwardness in Godliness, but afterwards fell off. But now if you shall go on and hold out till you be aged, Oh! it is a blessed evidence of the deepness of the root of Grace in your hearts. That is the first.

1. This is a great evidence of the deep rooting of your Grace, and so puts a greater honor upon you, it is an argument Grace had a very deep root, in that it hath held out al this while, and flourished al this while. You know the seed that was sown in the stony ground, it came up a little for the present, but vanished away, but that that was sowen in the good ground, it came up and flourished though in the heate of the Sun. Many have a good beginning as Nero, •hough he were an abominable wretch afterwards, yet his first five years were very eminent for forwardness in Godliness, but afterwards fel off. But now if you shal go on and hold out til you be aged, Oh! it is a blessed evidence of the deepness of the root of Grace in your hearts. That is the first.

2. Those that are Old in the ways of righteousness, they cannot but be supposed to be very eminent in Grace and Godliness, they have gotten much in the ways of Godliness, they have grown to some excellency in holy ways; John he began young, and continued Old in Godliness, for so he was, he was near a hundred years Old, he could not be less, for his banishment was in Domitians time, which was eighty years after Christ, that he was banished into the Isle of Patmos, and then he could not be less than above a hundred years Old, and then he had divine revelations revealed unto him. Those that have continued long in Godliness, grow to a great eminency in Godliness. Obadiah (as some think) was that prophet Obadiah afterwards,